2014 Tip of the week thread..

[thatoneguy]

Some people put far too much thought into catching a bass.

If you know the fundamentals, and know the conditions(open eyes,see weather!), catching fish will not be difficult. MN lakes simply have too many bass.

Mental fortitude? Come on!! When did spending a day on the water become mentally challenging?? If you're not enjoying yourself, just leave.

While most think markula kindof a goober, I think he's inspiring. After all, knowing that he has figured out what even the best bass anglers in the world have not...well, it gives me hope that one day I can be so awesome.

[Markula]

So we will be seeing you on top of the leaderboards all next season on the bass tour, right?

Sorry but i've long since retired from tournament fishing. But that has nothing to do with it.

All i'm saying is, every day on the water should be enjoyed. If I was misunderstood, I apologize. The only days i've disliked being on the water, was when I popped a motor, ripped off a gearcase, or when my daughter was born! If I got bored on the water, I would find something else to do. I'd go for a boat ride, or as RK, put the rod down and just cruise around, looking at stuff.

I enjoy being on the lake/river...whether in my jonboat, kayak, or ZX20. Fishing is fun. Sometimes the weather sucks. Sometimes it doesn't. My 3 week trip to TX this year is an example. There was no escaping the cold. But still fished every day, and caught fish everyday.

As far as gear, its easy to overlook the simple things, as the last 15 years has trended to complicate the sport. Having a variety of techniques available never hurts, but on any given day one can still do some damage with a brown power worm and a 1/4oz t rig, on most any lake around.

I can also assure you, the most successful tournement anglers in the state,and I know most of them, all have one thing in common. A simple love for the fun of fishing. You can't keep them off the water if they have free time. The surely don't do it for the money, as there is very little to be made in this state.

[jalberg]

I think one of the best feelings in bass fishing is putting together a pattern after struggling for a while. Something someone who gives up easily wouldn't understand.

[RumRiverRat]

Jerkbait color selection.

General rules

Sunny days throw Chrome/flashy baits

Cloudy days opaque baits with some color

In depth

Sunny days with little to no wind. Throw a transparent/natural looking bait. Ghost minnow in a Pointer for example.

Cloudy days with little to no wind. Throw a natural looking bait that is opaque.

Sunny days with wind, anything other than slick calm conditions. Throw a bait with a lot of chrome/flash. American Shad in a Pointer. Sliver/Blue, Silver/Black in a Husky Jerk. In water with lower visibility Clown is a favorite color of mine in these conditions.

Cloudy days with wind. Darker colors with flash. Gold/black is a good choice.

In darker, dirtier water bright colors are best. Firetiger, Chartreuse and Blue are good choices.

In summary when choosing a jerkbait color light penatration is the key factor in choosing color. Cloud cover and wind reduce light penatration. As does stained/dirty water. Consider the conditions and choose accordingly.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Sounds about right to me!

[bemidjibasser]

I throw only a few colors and most of them are some sort of natural shad pattern or a hurt your eyes fire tiger of sorts. It serves me well and keeps it simple...

[ukefish]

I think one of the best feelings in bass fishing is putting together a pattern after struggling for a while. Something someone who gives up easily wouldn't understand.

My parents have always wondered this about me. I have no boat(well I built one this winter so I will be rowing this year) and I would stay at the same dock or a campsite in the BWCAW and rain or shine, hot or cold, night or day I would stay out there until I caught a fish. To me the only thing I care about is catching 1 fish a day, the others are just a bonus(excluding bluegill of course). I enjoy having a rod in my hands, throwing a bait, seeing and soaking in my surroundings even if I know the lake by heart the beauty of it never changes. And I am always rewarded, last year I caught the biggest fish of my life(not big to some people, to me it is) a 32" 8 lb. Northern Pike..it was after changing baits from morning until evening, and I finally caught him right before sundown. Some don't realize fishing does not mean catching, catching is when you go out there with your go to bait and it works perfectly and you catch a slew of fish. Fishing is throwing the bait and enjoying what you're doing.

[RK]

Good rules of thumb RRR. I'm really a fan of translucent colors in clear water, whether it's jerkbaits, crankbaits, plastics, or even spinnerbait skirts. Especially true on clear sunny days.

The one exception to the natural colors in clear water is what I call 'shock colors' for smallmouths. Sometimes fast moving, erratic baits in bright colors can really do a number on smallies. Hot pink or orange jerkbaits, for example, or school bus yellow grubs.

[RumRiverRat]

Pink and Chartreuse Flukes are other examples.

Smallmouth are sight feeders and incredibly curious.

[RK]

Pink and Chartreuse Flukes are other examples.

Smallmouth are sight feeders and incredibly curious.

O man. I learned that lesson by getting absolutely throttled by my fishing partner throwing bubblegum pink flukes one day. I was throwing a natural color and getting a fish here and there. He'd have fish running down his bait from 30 feet away...

If I could find a yellow 5" fluke-type bait, I'd be a very happy camper. Not chartreuse either - opaque, school bus yellow. Something about that color they just like.

[JP Z]

RK, this color is getting there I would think. Maybe not enough yellow for your taste though.

[CAMAN]

O man. I learned that lesson by getting absolutely throttled by my fishing partner throwing bubblegum pink flukes one day. I was throwing a natural color and getting a fish here and there. He'd have fish running down his bait from 30 feet away...

If I could find a yellow 5" fluke-type bait, I'd be a very happy camper. Not chartreuse either - opaque, school bus yellow. Something about that color they just like.

This??

Or this??

[RumRiverRat]

PM inbound RK.

Don't tell anyone about what it contains.

[RK]

PM inbound RK.

Don't tell anyone about what it contains.

You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar... Thanks

[JP Z]

So......what does it contain?

[RumRiverRat]

It is on the level of the Secret Bluegill color jig.

[JP Z]

I see.........hmmmmm so it's a secret lure color? Cool!

[RuddyDuck]

It is on the level of the Secret Bluegill color jig.

Guess I will have to bring my Binocs with me out on the lake this year to see the secret color!

[RumRiverRat]

Back to the top

[slopmaster]

Hope this tip is somewhat useful to someone out there.

ROF

Rate of Fall (ROF) is the rate at which your lure is falling through the water column. Other commonly used terms are fall rate, speed of fall, and drop speed. I believe ROF is an important and overlooked factor by many fishermen. Fishing any technique when the bait is sinking in the water column ROF should be considered.

Since I fish a lot of jigs I will use it as my example on how to manipulate ROF:

1) Changing head weight is the most obvious way to manipulate your ROF. Heavier head - faster ROF and lighter head - slower ROF.

2) Using a skirt with less strands will give you a faster ROF and using a bulkier jig with more strands will give you a slower ROF

3) Trailer type- A bigger/bulkier profile or having more appendages equals more water displacement and a slower ROF. On the other hand using a smaller streamline trailer with little to no action will give you a faster ROF. Pork will also give a slower ROF than plastic in most instances.

4) Skirt material- Adding rubber skirting to your jig or using an all rubber jig will have a slower ROF than a full silicone skirted jig.

5) This is true with any bait- Going to a larger diameter line will give you a slower ROF and vise versa. I suppose you could also get into mono vs braid vs fluorocarbon but I would personally choose a line you are comfortable with and change the other things listed above. Also getting into line type and size leads to discussion in differences in lure action… so start with 1-4.

Remember ROF comes into play with any lure/presentation were the lure is sinking through the water column. I used a jig as an example but apply this to other presentations and I think you will see that ROF is a detail to pay attention to. Some days having a slower ROF will appeal to lethargic and non active bass and other days having a fast ROF can invoke a reaction strike out of these fish. A general rule of thumb is the more active the bass the faster the ROF you can use with success. Faster ROF is also great for covering water when searching for fish. You can always go back through those productive areas with a slower ROF and pick up a few extras, and maybe even that lazy fat girl looking for an easy meal.

Next time you are out on the water and either struggling for a bite or looking to expand on an already decent bite I suggest you consider ROF when making adjustments. Many fisherman will naturally want to change color or presentations right away, but sometimes all it takes is a slower or faster ROF of the same bait.

[jalberg]

Great info to compliment RK's post. I'm all about feeding lazy fat girls!

[Deitz Dittrich]

Well done Slop!!!

[RuddyDuck]

I’ll start things off, my tip of the week begins with cleaning and re-spooling.

Cleaning- each spring I do a partial take down of each of my reels. Performance can really increase with very little extra work. With baitcasters, take a small cup and put a shot or two of rubbing alcohol. Grab a bunch of q-tips. I don’t break all the way down(will do as needed every few years). I usually only take the spool out, clean the edge of the spool, clean the inside edge of the reel where the spool could rub or touch. Usually a lot of algae build up here. Then depending on the reel, a VERY small drop of reel oil on each of the bearings on each end of the spool shaft. I also clean with alcohol the hole where the spool goes into the reel. Then if its a Shimano, I’ll shine the inner rub rail with a small piece of steel wool. Then a teeny drip of oil on each of the brakes..

Spinning I do much less.. NEVER EVER take one apart to the gears, you will not be successfull putting it back together. I check to be sure the bail is not bent. Thats about it, If it needs to be cleaned, my biggest tip here is.. SEND IT IN…

Spooling line- line winding machines for spinning reels are sure nice.. baitcasters not as needy. But I like to take a cloth towel and put a few squirts of a line softener on it, and then hold the line to give tension and add the line conditioner. Seems to really help.

Final tip- if new to baitcasters.. walk out a long cast and put a piece of electrical tape across spool(make sure it doesn not touch edges) that way when you backlash, it will only go down to the tape. If you get a backlash, tighten your drag as hard as you can, dig your thumb into the backlash as hard as you can and turn the reel handle. It will suck the backlash from the inside out and make it easier to pick out.

Hope this helps guys!!!!

I guess it is that time of year again to go through the reels. I thought this was a good read on how to easily clean up a reel for the season, so I moved it up again. Also some good cleaning tips listed below it.